Courses and Qualification courses and qualification
	Courses and Qualifications Organisations that have been centre recognised can package, deliver and assess OCN validated courses and NOCN qualifications. The Open College Network system packages learning into units of assessment which clearly shows what learners can do as a result of a unit they have undertaken and the volume and level of that learning. Each unit has a credit value and level and a number of learning outcomes and assessment criteria. Units of assessment are then packaged into coherent courses. Your Business Development Advisor will support you in putting courses together. Further Guidance is available in the Centre Handbook. OCN qualifications and courses are designed to be flexible. They are a means of awarding learners for small steps of learning enabling progression to other courses and qualifications. Organisations can use existing OCN units of assessment or they can work with their Business Development Advisor to develop their own bespoke units. Credits and Levels Credits can be achieved at all four levels of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF); Entry Level, Level One, Level Two and Level Three. Credit is a nationally recognised mechanism for measuring and valuing learning. Credit allows learning to be packaged into smaller chunks and measured using the 10 hours of notional learning. It takes the average learner 10 hours of learning to achieve one credit. Learning time includes all time spent learning which includes not only direct contact time (time spent in the classroom) but also directed study, homework and work placement. What does Validated mean? Validatation is the term used for the process of applying OCN’s quality assurance procedures to learning opportunities. It is a process to structure learning or training into credit based units, allowing all learning to be both recognised and measured therefore enabling learners to claim nationally recognised certification. A key element of this process is the external scrutiny of the learning which the OCN provides in the development, delivery and assessment phases of the learning and through the work of your Quality Reviewer in assessing your internal verification systems. Your Business Development Adviser and Quality Reviewer will support you and provide further guidance. We have a wide range of units available for you to use. These units can form qualifications and validated courses. Our Unit Bank shows the units that are available. Access to HE units are held in a separate unit bank. OCNNWR can validate courses of learning in a variety of contexts. This can range from formal educational settings such as schools and colleges of further education through to training at work or in the community for example NHS, local government agencies, HMP Prisons, national and regional employers.